Wednesday, December 26, 2012

Job Security in 2012-13

Here's a very telling story about job security, or lack therof , here in these United States of America today. With the passing of "Right to Work" laws union contracts are about as binding as the thin papers their written on. Right to Work might not do away unions, but it sure puts a huge divide between union members fighting for wages and benefits versus the members who just want a paycheck. If the saying "Divide and Conquer" could ever be applied to a passed law's intent, Right to Work is rubber-stamped with a divide and conquer quest.Momentive Performance Materials in Waterford,NY, is a company that has put the right to work law into practice by breaking a three year contract with the workers' union and slashing pay by 40%. Ever been to any of those upstate New York towns in the dead of winter and compare the haves and the have-nots? A job is what seperates the two and companies like MPM know what it means to working men with families; survival.This story by Kat Aaron drives home the issue. Should we be glad just to have a job or do companies owe loyal workers fair treatment in a struggling economy?

WATERFORD, N.Y. -- Momentive Performance Materials sprawls near the banks of the Hudson River, just outside Albany, N.Y., its silver silos and windowless sheds nestled in the low, rolling hills. Men who work there see deer on the road as they drive their pickups to work.
Inside the plant, the tranquility vanishes. It’s not just that the workers are handling toxic, explosive chemicals. That’s par for the course in silicone manufacturing. Many Momentive employees have been at the company for decades, back when it was part of General Electric. They accept the risks in exchange for a steady, sizable paycheck.

The problem is that the paycheck is neither as steady nor sizable as it used to be. read more.....